New Study “What to Eat to Look Younger”
springlering62
Posts: 9,046 Member
I just ran acrost this, and thought it was very interesting. I have already incorporated much of this into my new dietary habits after joining MFP. But the positive reinforcement is welcome, and I’m killin’ it in some categories.
I really do feel much, much younger, though I’m sure the ninety pounds of weight lost, better diet, and regular exercise have nothing to do with it. 😽
It’s also interesting that the study was cosponsored by IFM.org. It was their “elimination diet” plan my doctor begged me for years to try, and I finally did, which ultimately led me to MFP.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/what-to-eat-to-look-younger-the-scientists-age-reversal-diet-qph8xs27n
I really do feel much, much younger, though I’m sure the ninety pounds of weight lost, better diet, and regular exercise have nothing to do with it. 😽
It’s also interesting that the study was cosponsored by IFM.org. It was their “elimination diet” plan my doctor begged me for years to try, and I finally did, which ultimately led me to MFP.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/what-to-eat-to-look-younger-the-scientists-age-reversal-diet-qph8xs27n
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Replies
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I have the berry thing covered this month! (June strawberries in my garden.)
Unfortunately, I've had problems digesting kale these past two years, which would have given me the other two - leafy greens and cruciferous veggies. Spinach is almost done in my garden, but the Swiss chard will be going go-hung once the competition from the strawberries is over.
I can only get the first paragraph - is there anything else of note other than berries, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies?5 -
kshama2001 wrote: »
I can only get the first paragraph - is there anything else of note other than berries, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies?
Three servings of liver per week …. nope. 😬10 -
I got the "Dash Diet for a Younger You" a few years ago on clearance. I wonder if it's similar to what was recommended in it.
Luckily, I love berries and so far, it seems leafy greens and most other cruciferous veggies agree with me. No to liver 3 times a week, though!0 -
Do you too want to avoid the registration/paywall? Or do you just want to see the original clinical study with 43 old extra-educated guys? Mmmmk, voila...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8064200/
ETA: Scroll down to "Table 2" to see a list of the interventions aka "The Good Stuff"11 -
It specifically excludes legumes/beans. I eat legumes every day.
5 -
kshama2001 wrote: »
I can only get the first paragraph - is there anything else of note other than berries, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies?
Three servings of liver per week …. nope. 😬
LMAO - earlier today on the Clean Plate Club thread I mentioned how our dog was very happy when liver was for dinner!3 -
Yeah, I couldn't follow that for life. Looks like I'll just continue to look old
2 -
kshama2001 wrote: »
I can only get the first paragraph - is there anything else of note other than berries, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies?
Three servings of liver per week …. nope. 😬
Ewwww no.
However, mention of liver has made me realize that I am ever so grateful my dad (whose grocery shopping I do) has never asked me to pick some up for him. I know he eats it, he eats all organ meats.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »
I can only get the first paragraph - is there anything else of note other than berries, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies?
Three servings of liver per week …. nope. 😬
Ewwww no.
However, mention of liver has made me realize that I am ever so grateful my dad (whose grocery shopping I do) has never asked me to pick some up for him. I know he eats it, he eats all organ meats.
We eat liver, but definitely not that frequently. My trick with most organ meats is to grind and mix it up with regular ground meat and use a lot of herbs and spices to cover the slightly different flavor.
I always think it's strange to see those sorts of recommendations, though. How much of the rest of the edible meat of an animal would get discarded to meet this standard? Each animal only has one liver. 🤷♀️6 -
What to eat to look younger: the scientist’s age-reversal diet
Groundbreaking research by the nutritional biochemist Dr Kara Fitzgerald has found that a diet rich in leafy greens and berries can take years off your biological age
June 18 2021, The Times
Feeling your age — or older? What if you were told that by eating the right foods you could not only keep looking young, but reverse the signs of ageing — specifically turning back the clock by three years in eight weeks? It sounds impossible and yet scientists have shown for the first time that it is possible to reverse the ageing process through dietary changes. Dr Kara Fitzgerald, a researcher in nutritional biochemistry at the Institute for Functional Medicine in Washington and the lead author of a groundbreaking paper published in the journal Aging, found that a diet rich in leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables and berries dramatically reduced the biological age of a group of middle-aged participants.
It is welcome news for those who feel as though they have aged five years in the past 12 months, even more so because the diet involves everyday foods and straightforward lifestyle changes. “There are so many claims made about reversing the ageing process,” Fitzgerald says. “But ours is the first and only randomised, controlled and peer-reviewed clinical trial to show that diet and lifestyle changes can bring immediate and rapid reduction in biological age.”
We think of our age in years, but while our chronological age is what we celebrate with birthdays, our bodies also age biologically as we accumulate damage to various cells and tissues in the body. This biological age varies from person to person and can be accelerated by bad habits. “Some of it is under genetic control, but it is mostly controlled environmentally and is dependent on how we live our lives, including factors such as stress,sleep and, of course, the food we eat,” Fitzgerald says.
For example, a 27-year-old woman who eats a lot of processed foods high in fat and sugar, who does no exercise and who has smoked for the past ten years is likely to have a biological age much higher than 27.
Scientists can now accurately predict biological age by looking at DNA methylation, a process that occurs in our bodies in which chemical tags called methyls attach to molecules of DNA, affecting cell turnover and the switching on and off of genes associated with disease. From middle age onwards the cumulative result of this process leads to increased risk of age-related inflammatory diseases, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Fitzgerald wanted to find out if these changes in cell function could be reversed through adopting a healthy diet, effectively making our bodies younger.
For her trial she recruited a group of 43 healthy men aged between 50 and 72 and asked them to follow a largely plant-based diet, low in sugar and salt and containing no processed foods or alcohol, for eight weeks. All of the foods were selected because they contained specific nutrients known from previous research to have a positive effect on biological ageing. On the daily menu were two servings (about 130g) of dark, leafy greens such as kale, cabbage, spinach or Swiss chard; two servings of cruciferous vegetables including cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and watercress; and colourful veg such as peppers and carrots. In addition the men were asked to eat seeds, beetroot and berries and to use rosemary, turmeric and garlic in cooking.
They also drank two cups of green tea (or three of oolong tea) every day and stuck to a “gentle” intermittent fasting window of consuming all meals between 7am and 7pm each day for two months. Small servings of fish or organic meat were allowed and non-vegetarians were advised to add up to three 75g servings of liver and five to ten eggs each week, both foods that are thought to enhance biological age-reversal.
“There was nothing startlingly new or different and we just asked people to avoid processed foods, cut down on sugar and cut out alcohol for the duration,” Fitzgerald says. “Aside from that they were eating foods that we have mostly been eating for ever.” The men were asked to exercise moderately (for 30 minutes on five days a week), to get at least seven hours’ sleep and to practise breathing exercises to reduce stress.
The results of the study, conducted with laboratory assistance from the Yale University Center for Genome Analysis and independently analysed at McGill University in Quebec and the National University of Natural Medicine in Oregon, surprised even Fitzgerald and her team. When they used a tool called the Horvath DNAm age clock to remeasure the biological age of the men, they found that those on the anti-ageing diet had reduced their biological age by 3.23 years on average during the two-month trial compared with the 20 participants in the control group who had eaten as they normally would.
Fitzgerald, who is 54, also tested the anti-ageing diet plan on herself with equally dramatic results. “I periodically measure my own biological age and the latest results showed I’m at my youngest yet relative to my chronological age,” she says. “I probably have a biological age of 50. I am now biologically younger than 82 per cent of people my age — up from 50 per cent the last time I measured.” A larger trial, this time involving middle-aged women as well as men, is planned, with an accompanying app to help users to make healthy dietary choices.
In the meantime Fitzgerald sticks to her diet as much as possible and encourages others to do the same. In daily life one’s diet doesn’t need to be as strict as the one prescribed in the clinical trial — just aim to introduce as many of the elements of it as you can. “I’m very busy but have perfected the art of easy food prep options,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be torturous.”
Here’s what she recommends you eat to turn back the clock.
What Dr Kara Fitzgerald recommends
Have two daily servings of dark leafy greens Eat two 65g servings every day. “Kale, Swiss chard and spinach are all excellent as they contain lots of folate and other nutrients,” Fitzgerald says.
A study has also indicated that a daily serving of leafy greens is significantly associated with lower rates of age- associated cognitive decline.
Salad greens such as romaine, iceberg and other lettuce were excluded from the trial because they lacked the nutrient density of the darker leafy greens.
Eat a variety of mushrooms “Mushrooms of all varieties, including button, shiitake, cordyceps, porcini and oyster mushrooms, are what I call ‘rock star methyl donors’, meaning they contain valuable nutrients when it comes to preventing biological ageing,” Fitzgerald says. “We absolutely love them for their nutrient density.” Another study from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in the US has shown that mushrooms contain unusually high amounts of two antioxidants — ergothioneine and glutathione — that could help to fight the signs of ageing.
Have half a teaspoon of turmeric daily Curcumin, the active component of the spice turmeric, is “one of the compounds or nutrients that helps the body in terms of reversing ageing”, Fitzgerald says. Add half a teaspoon to salad dressings or to vegetable curries and stir-fries — mixing tur–meric with black pepper and some oils can increase absorption by 2,000 per cent, she says — or take a supplement. “I take extra curcumin in supplement form just to be sure I get enough,” Fitzgerald says.
Drink two cups of green tea a day Drink two daily cups of green tea or three cups of oolong, each brewed for ten minutes so that the essential compounds are released, to get another dose of anti-ageing nutrients. “Polyphenol plant components such as theogallin in green tea have an important role in DNA methylation regulation,” Fitzgerald says. “Basically, they help to reverse ageing in a smart way by improving cell health.”
Eat tomatoes to prevent skin ageing “Tomatoes are a rich source of lutein, an antioxidant carotenoid that has a profound effect on our biological age,” Fitzgerald says. Peppers and grapes are other good plant sources of lutein. Eating tomatoes also means you get a good intake of lycopene, the antioxidant compound that gives them their red colour, which is associated with preventing skin ageing.
Add half a teaspoon of rosemary to meals Add rosemary to your meals whenever you can — the participants in the study were advised to add half a teaspoon to dishes daily. “Rosmarinic acid is the star component of rosemary,” Fitzgerald says. “Use the herb to season fish, chicken or vegetables as there is plenty of science to show that even small amounts have epigenetic [gene-balancing] benefits.”
Eat two garlic cloves a day (raw or cooked) The phytonutrient allicin found in garlic is another important component of the anti-ageing diet. “Two medium cloves provide a good dose,” Fitzgerald says. “But use it as often as you can.” Garlic, onions and leeks are also important prebiotic foods, helping to create the environment needed for a healthy gut. “A healthy gut will make nutrients essential for reversing biological ageing, including folate, more available to the body,” she says.
Eat an apple — or a tangerine — every day Apples are an excellent source of anti-ageing nutrients. “They are a brilliant addition to the diet and, if you eat them with the skin on, are a great supplier of quercetin and other polyphenols that help to regulate our genetic expression and reverse ageing,” Fitzgerald says. Other fruits that help to reverse your biological age include avocados, clementines, elderberries, pomegranates and tangerines. Don’t worry about the sugar content of fruit. “Yes, fruit contains sugar and we should be mindful of that,” she says. “But eating some every day is important.”
Eat a handful of berries every day Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries — any berry is good, and Fitzgerald says that the more of them you eat, the better. Participants were asked to eat a handful of berries every day. “They are extraordinarily good in terms of the nutrients and plant compounds they provide,” she says. Berries are a rich source of anthocyanins, antioxidants that give them their red and purple colour and which have been shown to help to prevent age-related metabolic damage.
Eat a lot of eggs “Eggs are arguably the best dietary source of choline, and it’s really hard for the body to make, so getting it in the diet is essential for keeping your cells and DNA functioning well,” Fitzgerald says. “If you like eggs, get your choline by eating five to ten of them a week.” She says that choline supports cell maintenance and it’s used to make healthy cellular membranes.
Eat two servings of cruciferous veg a day “Broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, as well as bok choy, contain sulforaphane, a sulphur-rich compound with potent health benefits,” Fitzgerald says. “Cruciferous vegetables also contain compounds called glucosinolates that can be converted by digestion and microbial action in the gut to indoles, thiocyanates and isothiocyanates — biologically active derivatives that are known to reduce inflammation and prevent some forms of cancer.” Radish, turnip and watercress are other cruciferous vegetables with similar benefits and in her trial Fitzgerald asked participants to consume two small servings (about 65g each) of any cruciferous veg every day.
Load up on pumpkin or sunflower seeds All nuts and seeds are helpful, but three are particularly beneficial. “Pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds are all rich in important health-preserving nutrients, including omega-3 fats, B vitamins and antioxidants,” Fitzgerald says. “If you don’t like eating them, have them as seed butters, choosing varieties without any added sugar.” For the trial she recommended eating four tablespoons of seeds (or two to three teaspoons of seed butter) daily.
Add beetroot to salads “Participants in the trial were asked to eat a beetroot every day if they could,” Fitzgerald says. “Add beet to salads and don’t forget to use the beetroot leaves, which are also nutrient-rich.” If you don’t like eating it, try beetroot shoots instead. Beetroot contains minerals important for health, such as potassium, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc and manganese. It is also a rich source of inorganic nitrates, converted in the body to nitric oxide, which has been shown to regulate blood vessel and brain health.
If you can stand it, eat lots of liver Liver is described by Fitzgerald as “a food-based multivitamin” and she recommended that participants in her trial consumed up to three 75g servings of it each week. “It is rich in methionine, an amino acid essential for healthy biological ageing,” she says. “But it is rich in vitamin B12, folate and choline too, so is an absolutely fantastic addition if you are a meat eater.” Although she doesn’t recommend an animal protein-heavy diet, eating small portions (150g) of preferably organic meat, poultry or fish once or twice a week will provide “nutrients important for DNA methylation support”.
What not to eat During the stricter first eight weeks of the trial participants were asked to abstain from alcohol. Although an occasional glass of red wine is “generally fine as it is packed with resveratrol”, Fitzgerald does not recommend drinking alcohol — certainly not more than the recommended 14 units a week.
“Salty and sugary foods and sweets should be avoided, as should all refined and processed foods,” she says. “There is growing evidence in particular that raised blood sugar levels from a diet high in sugar and processed foods affects processes that can accelerate biological ageing.”
Participants were also asked to avoid dairy, grains, beans and pulses, although small amounts of these are recommended in day-to-day life. “I take cream in my coffee and I eat legumes and pulses,” Fitzgerald says.
Try not to eat outside a 7am-to-7pm window, which will also help to stabilise blood sugar.
8 -
kshama2001 wrote: »
I can only get the first paragraph - is there anything else of note other than berries, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies?
Three servings of liver per week …. nope. 😬
Ewwww no.
However, mention of liver has made me realize that I am ever so grateful my dad (whose grocery shopping I do) has never asked me to pick some up for him. I know he eats it, he eats all organ meats.
Maybe it's a generational thing - my mom likes it too.
You couldn't pay me to eat one piece of liver - ever - never mind three times a week. I mean I don't eat meat anyway but even when I did - never liver.
I'd rather be old and shriveled.
2 -
springlering62 wrote: »What to eat to look younger: the scientist’s age-reversal diet
Groundbreaking research by the nutritional biochemist Dr Kara Fitzgerald has found that a diet rich in leafy greens and berries can take years off your biological age
June 18 2021, The Times
Feeling your age — or older? What if you were told that by eating the right foods you could not only keep looking young, but reverse the signs of ageing — specifically turning back the clock by three years in eight weeks? It sounds impossible and yet scientists have shown for the first time that it is possible to reverse the ageing process through dietary changes. Dr Kara Fitzgerald, a researcher in nutritional biochemistry at the Institute for Functional Medicine in Washington and the lead author of a groundbreaking paper published in the journal Aging, found that a diet rich in leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables and berries dramatically reduced the biological age of a group of middle-aged participants.
It is welcome news for those who feel as though they have aged five years in the past 12 months, even more so because the diet involves everyday foods and straightforward lifestyle changes. “There are so many claims made about reversing the ageing process,” Fitzgerald says. “But ours is the first and only randomised, controlled and peer-reviewed clinical trial to show that diet and lifestyle changes can bring immediate and rapid reduction in biological age.”
We think of our age in years, but while our chronological age is what we celebrate with birthdays, our bodies also age biologically as we accumulate damage to various cells and tissues in the body. This biological age varies from person to person and can be accelerated by bad habits. “Some of it is under genetic control, but it is mostly controlled environmentally and is dependent on how we live our lives, including factors such as stress,sleep and, of course, the food we eat,” Fitzgerald says.
For example, a 27-year-old woman who eats a lot of processed foods high in fat and sugar, who does no exercise and who has smoked for the past ten years is likely to have a biological age much higher than 27.
Scientists can now accurately predict biological age by looking at DNA methylation, a process that occurs in our bodies in which chemical tags called methyls attach to molecules of DNA, affecting cell turnover and the switching on and off of genes associated with disease. From middle age onwards the cumulative result of this process leads to increased risk of age-related inflammatory diseases, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Fitzgerald wanted to find out if these changes in cell function could be reversed through adopting a healthy diet, effectively making our bodies younger.
For her trial she recruited a group of 43 healthy men aged between 50 and 72 and asked them to follow a largely plant-based diet, low in sugar and salt and containing no processed foods or alcohol, for eight weeks. All of the foods were selected because they contained specific nutrients known from previous research to have a positive effect on biological ageing. On the daily menu were two servings (about 130g) of dark, leafy greens such as kale, cabbage, spinach or Swiss chard; two servings of cruciferous vegetables including cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and watercress; and colourful veg such as peppers and carrots. In addition the men were asked to eat seeds, beetroot and berries and to use rosemary, turmeric and garlic in cooking.
They also drank two cups of green tea (or three of oolong tea) every day and stuck to a “gentle” intermittent fasting window of consuming all meals between 7am and 7pm each day for two months. Small servings of fish or organic meat were allowed and non-vegetarians were advised to add up to three 75g servings of liver and five to ten eggs each week, both foods that are thought to enhance biological age-reversal.
“There was nothing startlingly new or different and we just asked people to avoid processed foods, cut down on sugar and cut out alcohol for the duration,” Fitzgerald says. “Aside from that they were eating foods that we have mostly been eating for ever.” The men were asked to exercise moderately (for 30 minutes on five days a week), to get at least seven hours’ sleep and to practise breathing exercises to reduce stress.
The results of the study, conducted with laboratory assistance from the Yale University Center for Genome Analysis and independently analysed at McGill University in Quebec and the National University of Natural Medicine in Oregon, surprised even Fitzgerald and her team. When they used a tool called the Horvath DNAm age clock to remeasure the biological age of the men, they found that those on the anti-ageing diet had reduced their biological age by 3.23 years on average during the two-month trial compared with the 20 participants in the control group who had eaten as they normally would.
Fitzgerald, who is 54, also tested the anti-ageing diet plan on herself with equally dramatic results. “I periodically measure my own biological age and the latest results showed I’m at my youngest yet relative to my chronological age,” she says. “I probably have a biological age of 50. I am now biologically younger than 82 per cent of people my age — up from 50 per cent the last time I measured.” A larger trial, this time involving middle-aged women as well as men, is planned, with an accompanying app to help users to make healthy dietary choices.
In the meantime Fitzgerald sticks to her diet as much as possible and encourages others to do the same. In daily life one’s diet doesn’t need to be as strict as the one prescribed in the clinical trial — just aim to introduce as many of the elements of it as you can. “I’m very busy but have perfected the art of easy food prep options,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be torturous.”
Here’s what she recommends you eat to turn back the clock.
What Dr Kara Fitzgerald recommends
Have two daily servings of dark leafy greens Eat two 65g servings every day. “Kale, Swiss chard and spinach are all excellent as they contain lots of folate and other nutrients,” Fitzgerald says.
A study has also indicated that a daily serving of leafy greens is significantly associated with lower rates of age- associated cognitive decline.
Salad greens such as romaine, iceberg and other lettuce were excluded from the trial because they lacked the nutrient density of the darker leafy greens.
Eat a variety of mushrooms “Mushrooms of all varieties, including button, shiitake, cordyceps, porcini and oyster mushrooms, are what I call ‘rock star methyl donors’, meaning they contain valuable nutrients when it comes to preventing biological ageing,” Fitzgerald says. “We absolutely love them for their nutrient density.” Another study from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in the US has shown that mushrooms contain unusually high amounts of two antioxidants — ergothioneine and glutathione — that could help to fight the signs of ageing.
Have half a teaspoon of turmeric daily Curcumin, the active component of the spice turmeric, is “one of the compounds or nutrients that helps the body in terms of reversing ageing”, Fitzgerald says. Add half a teaspoon to salad dressings or to vegetable curries and stir-fries — mixing tur–meric with black pepper and some oils can increase absorption by 2,000 per cent, she says — or take a supplement. “I take extra curcumin in supplement form just to be sure I get enough,” Fitzgerald says.
Drink two cups of green tea a day Drink two daily cups of green tea or three cups of oolong, each brewed for ten minutes so that the essential compounds are released, to get another dose of anti-ageing nutrients. “Polyphenol plant components such as theogallin in green tea have an important role in DNA methylation regulation,” Fitzgerald says. “Basically, they help to reverse ageing in a smart way by improving cell health.”
Eat tomatoes to prevent skin ageing “Tomatoes are a rich source of lutein, an antioxidant carotenoid that has a profound effect on our biological age,” Fitzgerald says. Peppers and grapes are other good plant sources of lutein. Eating tomatoes also means you get a good intake of lycopene, the antioxidant compound that gives them their red colour, which is associated with preventing skin ageing.
Add half a teaspoon of rosemary to meals Add rosemary to your meals whenever you can — the participants in the study were advised to add half a teaspoon to dishes daily. “Rosmarinic acid is the star component of rosemary,” Fitzgerald says. “Use the herb to season fish, chicken or vegetables as there is plenty of science to show that even small amounts have epigenetic [gene-balancing] benefits.”
Eat two garlic cloves a day (raw or cooked) The phytonutrient allicin found in garlic is another important component of the anti-ageing diet. “Two medium cloves provide a good dose,” Fitzgerald says. “But use it as often as you can.” Garlic, onions and leeks are also important prebiotic foods, helping to create the environment needed for a healthy gut. “A healthy gut will make nutrients essential for reversing biological ageing, including folate, more available to the body,” she says.
Eat an apple — or a tangerine — every day Apples are an excellent source of anti-ageing nutrients. “They are a brilliant addition to the diet and, if you eat them with the skin on, are a great supplier of quercetin and other polyphenols that help to regulate our genetic expression and reverse ageing,” Fitzgerald says. Other fruits that help to reverse your biological age include avocados, clementines, elderberries, pomegranates and tangerines. Don’t worry about the sugar content of fruit. “Yes, fruit contains sugar and we should be mindful of that,” she says. “But eating some every day is important.”
Eat a handful of berries every day Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries — any berry is good, and Fitzgerald says that the more of them you eat, the better. Participants were asked to eat a handful of berries every day. “They are extraordinarily good in terms of the nutrients and plant compounds they provide,” she says. Berries are a rich source of anthocyanins, antioxidants that give them their red and purple colour and which have been shown to help to prevent age-related metabolic damage.
Eat a lot of eggs “Eggs are arguably the best dietary source of choline, and it’s really hard for the body to make, so getting it in the diet is essential for keeping your cells and DNA functioning well,” Fitzgerald says. “If you like eggs, get your choline by eating five to ten of them a week.” She says that choline supports cell maintenance and it’s used to make healthy cellular membranes.
Eat two servings of cruciferous veg a day “Broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, as well as bok choy, contain sulforaphane, a sulphur-rich compound with potent health benefits,” Fitzgerald says. “Cruciferous vegetables also contain compounds called glucosinolates that can be converted by digestion and microbial action in the gut to indoles, thiocyanates and isothiocyanates — biologically active derivatives that are known to reduce inflammation and prevent some forms of cancer.” Radish, turnip and watercress are other cruciferous vegetables with similar benefits and in her trial Fitzgerald asked participants to consume two small servings (about 65g each) of any cruciferous veg every day.
Load up on pumpkin or sunflower seeds All nuts and seeds are helpful, but three are particularly beneficial. “Pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds are all rich in important health-preserving nutrients, including omega-3 fats, B vitamins and antioxidants,” Fitzgerald says. “If you don’t like eating them, have them as seed butters, choosing varieties without any added sugar.” For the trial she recommended eating four tablespoons of seeds (or two to three teaspoons of seed butter) daily.
Add beetroot to salads “Participants in the trial were asked to eat a beetroot every day if they could,” Fitzgerald says. “Add beet to salads and don’t forget to use the beetroot leaves, which are also nutrient-rich.” If you don’t like eating it, try beetroot shoots instead. Beetroot contains minerals important for health, such as potassium, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc and manganese. It is also a rich source of inorganic nitrates, converted in the body to nitric oxide, which has been shown to regulate blood vessel and brain health.
If you can stand it, eat lots of liver Liver is described by Fitzgerald as “a food-based multivitamin” and she recommended that participants in her trial consumed up to three 75g servings of it each week. “It is rich in methionine, an amino acid essential for healthy biological ageing,” she says. “But it is rich in vitamin B12, folate and choline too, so is an absolutely fantastic addition if you are a meat eater.” Although she doesn’t recommend an animal protein-heavy diet, eating small portions (150g) of preferably organic meat, poultry or fish once or twice a week will provide “nutrients important for DNA methylation support”.
What not to eat During the stricter first eight weeks of the trial participants were asked to abstain from alcohol. Although an occasional glass of red wine is “generally fine as it is packed with resveratrol”, Fitzgerald does not recommend drinking alcohol — certainly not more than the recommended 14 units a week.
“Salty and sugary foods and sweets should be avoided, as should all refined and processed foods,” she says. “There is growing evidence in particular that raised blood sugar levels from a diet high in sugar and processed foods affects processes that can accelerate biological ageing.”
Participants were also asked to avoid dairy, grains, beans and pulses, although small amounts of these are recommended in day-to-day life. “I take cream in my coffee and I eat legumes and pulses,” Fitzgerald says.
Try not to eat outside a 7am-to-7pm window, which will also help to stabilise blood sugar.
Well maybe I'll get partial benefits - I eat spinach, berries, green tea, tumeric and eggs and some sort of nut/seed pretty much every day, and when I am "on plan" I don't eat dairy and grains and sugar, although I do eat beans/lentils every day. (Avoiding dairy, grains and beans won't go over very well on MFP.)
Sounds like basically a whole food plan. Surprised there isn't fish on the list, that is usually listed on these types of things.0 -
Oh, good grief. Minority report, maybe:
I'm all for good nutrition, good health, strong body & physical well-being as long as possible . . . but to *look* younger? What the heck is wrong with popular science coverage in our clickbait culture, anyway?
The study is fine, good, interesting, generally: Thank you for linking it, @MaltedTea. It does not focus on "looking younger". It focuses on biological factors usually associated with aging, and how they respond to these specific interventions, which go beyond dietary changes.
Apparently the popsci people think we can't handle big words like "DNA methylation", so we need it predigested into a variation on "look cuter". The study also included lifestyle interventions (exercise, sleep, stress reduction practices . . . .), but we need that condensed for headline purposes into "What to eat . . . ". 🙄🙄🙄
One little 🙄 about the study itself. I totally get the scientific rationale for this in some cases, including this one . . . but it's yet another study done on men because (paraphrasing, but not much) girl hormones are just so confusing. 🙄13 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Three servings of liver per week …. nope. 😬
I enjoyed eating liver fried in a pan with caramelized onions when I was growing up. I don't ever make it for myself, though. What I really like and buy now and again is liverwurst... yum!
As an aside, my mom once served cow tongue for dinner. It was tasty and tender, but I couldn't eat more than a couple bites realizing I was chewing on a tongue.0 -
I do believe that a diet high in antioxidants can help one look younger.0
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i think the biggest effects on looking younger are: don't smoke, don't get too much sun/get sunburned.6
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I'm resistant to making changes that will be hard to keep up, I would rather age 30 years in one day than give up grains, dairy, and legumes or eat animal meat every day. Liver is out of the question. It's interesting to see, nevertheless. I already consume plenty of greens and love berries when they're available, and sleep very well.4
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amusedmonkey wrote: »I'm resistant to making changes that will be hard to keep up, I would rather age 30 years in one day than give up grains, dairy, and legumes or eat animal meat every day. Liver is out of the question. It's interesting to see, nevertheless. I already consume plenty of greens and love berries when they're available, and sleep very well.
I consistently get estimated at 15 years younger. And I eat masses of bread or other grains, with lots of cheese and some other dairy. Hm.. Btw, garmin estimates my fitness age to be 20 based on their VO2max calculation. Mind you, it's about 10 points too high compared to Runalyze. I'm getting close to 50, btw.2 -
Interesting, but based on my family history and genetics, I should get to 90 years old no problem (since I'm in physically in better health than both my parents ever were). Dad's still alive at almost 88 years old. Mom passed at 93. My family tree is even the unhealthy non active members got to their 90's.
I get pegged for being in my forties all the time (I'm 57) and physically, I can still play like a 35 year old average male who plays in a sport.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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We pretty much do everything in the article but eating the liver. We eat tons of leafy greens, tons of polyphenols/berries and avoid most processed food. I'm 56 and my wife is 60 and we regularly get guessed at five or even ten years younger than we are.0
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springlering62 wrote: »What to eat to look younger: the scientist’s age-reversal diet
...They also ... stuck to a “gentle” intermittent fasting window of consuming all meals between 7am and 7pm each day for two months.
...Try not to eat outside a 7am-to-7pm window, which will also help to stabilise blood sugar.
Thanks for posting!
Interesting to see the part about "fasting" - I have been saying jokingly that I do 12:12, but here they are serious about it!
My window is more like 11AM-11PM though...0 -
I eat greens, pecans or almonds, and eggs a lot. I used to eat liver and onions at a restaurant sometimes, but don't want to cook it! My mother's side of the family all look younger than normal (some strikingly so, like 30 years younger than they are) even though some seem to live on bologna sandwiches and have diabetes. They lived on commodities and garden food growing up in rural Oklahoma. Even though I look more like my dad, I seem to be aging a little slower than my cousins on that side of the family. I think aging, at least the appearance of it, is more genetic than diet related. This subject so interesting to me, more for the science rather than to prevent aging. I agree about people being way too worried about that!2
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Interesting, but based on my family history and genetics, I should get to 90 years old no problem (since I'm in physically in better health than both my parents ever were). Dad's still alive at almost 88 years old. Mom passed at 93. My family tree is even the unhealthy non active members got to their 90's.
I get pegged for being in my forties all the time (I'm 57) and physically, I can still play like a 35 year old average male who plays in a sport.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
My mom is 87 and has smoked for close to 70 years (still smokes a pack a day) and could easily go through half a bottle of rye daily up until 3 years ago - never exercised or did anything active really. My father died at age 33 so I have already outlived him by 23 years.
If I get my mom's genetics coupled with my lifestyle I should live to be 150.
I'm 56 and I think I look around my age. I used to get told I looked younger but not lately.1 -
"Vitamin D3 at a dose of 4,000 IU/d for 16 weeks has previously been shown to decrease the DNAmAge clock measurement by 1.85 years in overweight/obese African Americans with a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)d] <50 nmol/L [31]. Subsequently, a one-year regimen of daily injection of growth hormone plus one prescription drug and three nutritional supplements was shown to set back the DNAmAge clock by 1.5 years in 9 middle-aged men (plus the 1-year study duration = 2.5 years) [29]. More recently, a 1-year non controlled pilot trial involving 120 participants aged 65-79 years (including 60 Italians, 60 Poles) drawn from the larger NU-AGE cohort found a non-significant trend towards reversal of the DNAmAge clock after 1 year of a Mediterranean diet plus 400IU of vitamin D3 [30]. However, subgroup analysis did reveal a significant 1.47-year age decreases in female Polish participants (n=36) and in individuals with a baseline higher epigenetic age."
" Also relevant is the demonstration, albeit in a small study, adding dietary supplements of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 to a vitamin D plus calcium intervention increased biological aging (sex-adjusted odds ratio 5.26 vs vitamin D plus calcium alone) during a 1-year intervention [42]."
?????Interesting!
Thanks for finding the research!!!Do you too want to avoid the registration/paywall? Or do you just want to see the original clinical study with 43 old extra-educated guys? Mmmmk, voila...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8064200/
ETA: Scroll down to "Table 2" to see a list of the interventions aka "The Good Stuff"
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I haven’t read the research so I don’t know if they specify what type of liver, but I’ve got to say that home made chicken liver pate is just awesome. Honestly, I could eat vats of that stuff. On toast. With loads of butter 🤤1
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kshama2001 wrote: »
I can only get the first paragraph - is there anything else of note other than berries, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies?
Three servings of liver per week …. nope. 😬
I like fried chicken liver quite a lot. But something tells me that 3 trips to Popeye's per week is not what they're suggesting 😆3 -
I always feel I look younger when I eat a sno-cone.
Especially if I make slurping noises.13 -
i think the biggest effects on looking younger are: don't smoke, don't get too much sun/get sunburned.
Oh, man, yes.
My arms, at this moment, traverse decades. I'm good with sunscreen, but I wear short sleeves (varying amounts above elbow) to row, cycle, do yard work, etc., in warm weather; long sleeves to row in cool weather but rarely gloves; I favor 3/4 or bracelet length sleeves, maybe pushed-up long ones in daily errand/social life if it's cool.
My hands are brown, quite wrinkly, looking *at least* my 65 years. As my gaze goes up my arm, the skin gets "younger": Light to no wrinkles just above/below the elbow, but lots of freckles; my inherent skim-milk white by the shoulder zone, no freckles or visible wrinkles at all. You can see some of that in my profile photo, though that was at age 60, so things have progressed some age-wise.
I do some of the things the study supports, like veggie-heavy eating, exercise, etc.; but not other things, like good sleep and near-complete alcohol avoidance. My Garmin estimates my fitness age (based on walking metrics) at 28 right now, though it was down at 20 around a month ago when the weather was cooler (😆 to all of that!).
My biased perception, augmented by feedback from disinterested others, suggests that my body looks quite a bit younger than the average 65-year-old woman, but my face (which gets less sun than my lower arms) looks every bit of my age (probably helped to that by undyed gray hair, plus some effects of weight loss).1 -
You’ll be thrilled to know that the same newspaper followed up today with a new article touting oxygenation as the route backwards to youth.
This one studied both lifelong athletes and couch potatoes and had them do a sort of HIIT routine every five days, making the athletes slow down their usual routines. All showed some sort of improvement in something or other. And when they tested the couch potatoes, who had returned to potato habits, a year later, they still had residual improved oxygen levels.
I’m starting to believe any study can be manipulated to return pretty much any result you want. My husband was a market research analyst, and he told me years ago you could easily manipulate how people perceived results simply by the type size and portion of the graph or chart you presented.
He ruined the weight loss smoothing apps for me before I ever even had a chance to need one. *sigh*3 -
kshama2001 wrote: »
I can only get the first paragraph - is there anything else of note other than berries, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies?
Three servings of liver per week …. nope. 😬
Ewwww no.
However, mention of liver has made me realize that I am ever so grateful my dad (whose grocery shopping I do) has never asked me to pick some up for him. I know he eats it, he eats all organ meats.
Maybe it's a generational thing - my mom likes it too.
You couldn't pay me to eat one piece of liver - ever - never mind three times a week. I mean I don't eat meat anyway but even when I did - never liver.
I'd rather be old and shriveled.
I think of it more as a Brit thing, the land of steak and kidney pie and haggis and all that. I grew up eating things like kidney, tongue, heart, although I drew the line at tripe. This may have contributed to the fact that I gave up eating meat quite young!2
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